JD.com, Chinese technology giant and rival of Alibaba, is opening two autonomous stores in the Netherlands where robots will do the order preparation as well as product delivery! This is the first checkout-free operation in Europe for the company that wants to compete with Amazon Go stores.
Two new autonomous stores in the Netherlands! JD.com, Alibaba's main competitor in China, is in the process of launchin its robot-equipped stores in Europe. They will be located in the cities of Leiden and Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Robots will be responsible for preparing the orders and even delivering the various packages. Customers can simply use the "Ochama" app to order food, beauty products and even furniture. Then they simply go to the store, scan the barcode on their app and watch the robotic arms take care of selecting the right order.
This entry of the Chinese giant in Europe marks the beginning of what looks set to be fierce competition with Amazon and its standalone stores. For the moment only present in the United Kingdom (and the United States), the American retailer wants to open stores in Italy, Spain and Germany this year. Meanwhile, Chinese company JD.com is already planning to open two more stores in Utrecht and Amsterdam.
